It’s not often that science can answer questions with an easy “yes” or “no.” Usually it’s more of an “evidence suggests” or “this correlation proposes” sort of situation, even if the public’s understanding is generally a little less nuanced. So USGS Seismologist Susan Hough found the right question:

This month has been marked with a staggering number of geological and meteorological catastrophes. Powerful hurricanes have pummeled the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, and a spate of earthquake events rocked Mexico. Now, geologists worry that seismic activity in Indonesia will lead to a powerful volcanic eruption.

On the anniversary of its catastrophic 1985 earthquake, Mexico City has been hit by another powerful seismic event. No reports of casualties have been reported, but videos posted to social media suggest that damage is widespread.

The strongest earthquake to hit Mexico in a century has struck off the nation’s West Coast, shaking buildings for hundreds of miles and triggering tsunami warnings. At least 16 people have been killed, but officials are expecting the death toll to rise.

Four people are missing and nearly a dozen homes were flooded after a rare tsunami struck the west coast of Greenland on Saturday. Initial reports attributed the giant wave to a magnitude four earthquake, but speculation is emerging that the highly-localized tsunami was actually produced by a massive landslide.

The USGS has issued its now annual seismic-hazard forecast for the central and eastern United States. The updated maps, which highlight both natural and human-induced earthquakes, show that millions of Americans are likely to feel the earth shake beneath their feet over the next 12 months.

A little-known fault underneath the southern Californian city of Santa Barbara is capable of producing stronger shaking and more damage during an earthquake than previously thought, according to new research. Called the Ventura-Pitas Point Fault, it’s now thought to be capable of producing magnitude 8.0 earthquakes,…

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake has rocked the Solomon Islands about 42 miles off the coast of Kirakira. A subsequent Tsunami watch was issued for Hawaii, but was canceled. Areas close to the quake are also on tsunami alerts.

A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Aceh province earlier today, leaving 97 dead and hundreds injured. Though the quake did not trigger a tsunami, it triggered memories of the horrific 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake when more than 100,000 were killed in Aceh alone.

It’s generally believed that hydraulic fracturing is behind the recent spate of earthquakes in regions not usually associated with seismic activity, but the underlying processes are still poorly understood. New research from Canada strengthens the link between the two, showing how the controversial practice can…

Seismologists are warning that the latest earthquake to strike New Zealand could trigger other large earthquakes in the coming days and weeks, but sensationalistic claims of a devastating “mega-quake” are likely overblown.

A magnitude 5.0 earthquake rattled the Oklahoma prairie town of Cushing last night, damaging several buildings and threatening one of the world’s largest oil terminals. Earthquakes are now a disturbingly frequent phenomenon in the region, with all signs pointing to the practice of disposing oil and gas field…

Human-induced earthquakes are on the rise in the United States and Canada, likely as a result of oil and gas industry practices. New research suggests this isn’t a new phenomenon, and that several quakes felt in Los Angeles during the early 20th century were likely caused by human activity.

Geologists have discovered that two deadly faults beneath San Francisco—the Hayward and Rodgers Creek faults—may be linked. Should one slip, it could trigger the other fault to collapse as well, causing an earthquake even larger than the one that struck back in 1989.

A series of quakes under the Salton Sea may be a signal that the San Andreas Fault is on the verge of buckling. For the next few days, the risk of a major earthquake along the fault is as high as 1 in 100. Which, holy crap.

Oklahoma was hit with an earthquake yesterday, its second 5.0+ quake this year. The increased number of earthquakes have been linked to the use of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking—specifically the underground disposal wells where the run off from fracking is stored. The Oklahoma Corporation Commission has taken note…

A 5.6 magnitude earthquake shook parts of the US Midwest earlier this morning, rattling homes from Nebraska to North Texas. The unusually strong quake will likely draw further scrutiny to the practice of disposing oil and gas field wastewater deep underground.

Since the time of Isaac Newton, scientists have wondered if the gravitational pull of the sun and moon might be strong enough to trigger earthquakes and tremors on Earth. An analysis of 81,000 low-frequency earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault now confirms these suspicions.